The rules have changed
by The Sangheili Mutant
Summary: Truces don't last forever... After one violent act dubbed 'mutant terrorism', the President nullifies the truce and orders the execution of any and all mutants in the United States. *slightly AU *set between X2 and X3 *rated for violence, brief sexual content, and non-explicit rape, so please do not read if any of these bother you.
1. Chapter 1: an act of terrorism

A/N: I feel that I have matured enough as a writer to attempt a 20+ chapter story. Hopefully, you readers will enjoy it as much as I did!

A/N: no correlation to my previous X-Men stories.

Pairings: Cyclops/Jean, Bobby/Rogue, Pyro/Mystique.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the story. They all belong to Marvel.

* * *

Chapter One: An act of terrorism

61 Days, 14 hours, 3 minutes, and 11 seconds. That's how long the truce concocted by the X-Men lasted. Two months of peace and freedom was crapped on by one mutant, and one too many beers. No one knows this mutants name, but everyone (or at least a vast majority) hates him.

A seemingly harmless prank committed in a drunken stupor turned into a massacre, and an attempt on the President's life – spray painting a giant cock and balls on the side of the Whitehouse with disturbingly visual details should have been seen as a no-no, even to a drunken mutant with a cloaking ability!

If that wasn't bad enough, the mutant's invisibility wore off, probably due to being intoxicated, and was spotted by security. So, like anyone caught with their pants down, he ran like hell, but was soon cornered and surrounded. Now what he should've done was surrender, and he'd get released with a fine, and a slap on the wrist, because of the truce. Instead, he decided to fight his way out, damning mutant kind before he even threw his first punch.

* * *

13 days, 20 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds. That's how long it's been since the President, after witnessing the mutant kill the handful of guards with their own guns and was almost killed himself as he tried to help, declared _Operation New Day_.

After the President's life-saving surgery, he quickly green-lit the order to begin the systematic execution of any known and unknown mutant organizations, societies, and individuals.

His exact words were: "Kill them. Find them all and kill them. If they won't abide by the truce, then there _is_ no truce!"

Once those words were spoken, all Police, SWAT, Army, D.O.D., and pretty much anyone with the authority to use a gun was tasked with the job of locating and killing anyone that possessed the X-gene.

Nearly two weeks ago, the genocide began again.

* * *

A/N: This was just a prologue-type thing. Things will definitely pick up very quickly!


	2. Chapter 2: Adjusting

Chapter 2: Adjusting

(Cyclops)

Everything else pales in comparison to the death of a loved one, and it felt like nothing could alleviate the knot in his chest, the hole in his heart, or the pit in his gut caused by the death of the love of his life.

Dozens of condolences were given to him, but eventually, the kind words and small gifts (albeit thoughtful) became meaningless, empty gestures. He knew everyone liked Jean and everyone would miss her, but none of them knew her like he did. Not Storm, not the Professor, and especially not Logan, who seemed nearly as heartbroken as him. None of them could even begin to understand what he was going through, but they all _claimed_ they did. The nightmares, seeing her face whenever he closed his eyes, hearing her voice when the world was quiet…they couldn't even begin to grasp at his pain even though they've tried to. Talking. Little one-on-one meets. 'Grief counseling', they called it. But none of it mattered. Every day that passed only made his heart break even more because Jean was still dead. She gave her life to save them, to save _him_, but the pain was still there.

Jean was dead, and she wasn't coming back.

And he was forced to continue on without her.

* * *

(Pyro)

Fitting in with Magneto and Mystique was easier than he had thought. He wasn't treated like a kid; he was treated like an equal. He was finally allowed to embrace his potential, and learn at the hands of the master.

Magneto was a visionary, a true leader; he had learned more from the two misunderstood convicts than he had in the years of classes at Xavier's school.

The three of them bonded over time, and the fact became evident to him when he was allowed to make solo runs for both supplies, and for recon purposes.

Although he found himself missing Bobby and Rogue, the only two people he ever thought of as friends, he knew that they were happy together. They didn't need him.

* * *

(Xavier)

A truce had finally been formed between human and mutant kind, but had the price been too great? Yes, Stryker was gone, but so was Jean. Scott was practically catatonic, and Logan couldn't stop drinking to save his life. Ororo tried to do her best and even started teaching again before anyone else, but he could tell her passion wasn't as strong as it used to be. Kurt Wagner, a viable addition to the X-Men, quickly left after the truce agreement.

Bobby, Rogue, Pete, and Kitty were inducted into the X-Men about two weeks ago – Jean's death had kick-started their training, and they were maturing much faster than he would've liked, but he couldn't blame them. Pyro had gone with Magneto, a move that was both surprising, and not.

And he? He was adjusting to the new life ahead of him; one that he prayed would be everything everyone needed to move on.

* * *

(President McKenna)

"How are we doing, gentlemen?" he asked, approaching the operating commanders.

"All major cities have been briefed, and officials have been given lists of all known mutants, their locations, and their abilities." a man that vaguely resembled William Stryker informed.

"Okay, men, this is it. Time to show them this is what it's come to." he said, giving the 'OK' to begin the assault phase of _Operation New Day_.

* * *

A/N: the real fun begins next chapter! We get a look at a relationship in the Brotherhood, and the beginnings of _Operation New Day_.


	3. Chapter 3: Like cattle

Chapter 3: Like cattle

(Mystique)

She had just finished checking out the groceries at one of their usual stores, posing as her usual identity when she needed to mingle with the Homo sapiens. It had been two months, but she still wasn't used to buying food. When it was just her and Erik, they were able to survive by stealing what they needed.

Since Pyro had joined them, however, they needed more to satisfy his teenage appetite. She was genuinely surprised how much the kid could put away in one sitting; and the junk food, good god! She was amazed he didn't weight three hundred pounds!

* * *

As she closed the trunk of the stolen car they used to make their supply runs, nearly half a dozen police cars entered the parking lot, all stopping near the front doors. She started the car, and watched the raid, wondering if some serial killer was inside the market. Thinking nothing more of the matter, she drove back to the base, always dutifully checking the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following her as she neared the base.

After setting the bags in the grass, she quickly covered the car to hide it from view even though people never came this far into the forest, and she still had a small hike ahead of her before she reached the actual base. She could imagine Erik and Pyro waiting for her, the latter starting to get anxious for his treats.

By the time her comrades were in her sight, she began thinking about the mysterious cop raid again, and decided she would mention it after the three grocery bags were unpacked and put away.

"Did you get my-" Pyro started as he walked towards her.

"Yes, I got your Rocky Road ice cream." she said, lifting one bag higher than the others.

"Hey, don't blame me. Iceman got me into that whole midnight-ice-cream-ritual. It's like an addiction now." the brunette defended.

"I never said anything like that." she replied, smiling as she stopped in front of him.

The month-old couple kissed briefly before Pyro stole two bags, taking them into the lair. Before she went down to help unpack, she turned to Erik.

"There's something we need to talk about." she said.

He looked at her with a curious expression. "Indeed we do. The news?"

"I think I saw it in action." she replied. The two joined Pyro underground and she placed her remaining bags down.

"It turns out the mysterious prophet was right." Erik announced.

Pyro froze momentarily before turning around. "You mean that shadow guy that pops up on TV and interrupts the news?" he asked.

"When I left the store, seven police cars surrounded the front entrance; who knows how many were in back. I didn't think anything of it until now. What if they were going after mutants?" she asked.

"Son of a bitch. What about the truce?" Pyro asked.

"Truces don't last forever. They never have." Erik said.

"So, what, is this war now?" Pyro asked, his eyes showing mixed emotions.

"I believe we are at war again, yes." Erik said, nodding.

* * *

(Kitty)

"What do you think that guy meant last night?" she asked Rogue as they walked towards the game room.

"You mean that blacked-out guy with the creepy voice changer claiming that we're going to be hunted down and rounded up like cattle?" He sounded crazy." Rogue said, sitting on the couch by her boyfriend.

"You talking about that 'Mr. XYZ' guy?" Bobby asked, holding her gloved hand.

"What if he was right?" Kitty asked.

"There's no reason to worry, Kitty. We formed a truce, and it's been two months of freedom. They made it illegal to go after mutants." Bobby said.

"Just because something's illegal doesn't mean people will stop doing it. And besides, I have a bad feeling about that guy that keeps popping up on TV He seemed more fanatical last night than usual. He said 'it's begun'. What does that mean?" she asked, hoping she was just overreacting.

"You're just a worry-wart, Kitty. If something happened to end the truce, the Professor would know about it, and he'd tell us." Rogue said.

"I guess so." she replied, not really believing it.

* * *

(Toad)

The door opened, filling the tiny room with a blinding light. He squinted and shielded his eyes from the glare as several men entered the room.

"Why won't you tell me where we are?" he asked, his eyes still trying to adjust to the harsh, white light.

"Are you ready to talk?" one of the men snarled.

"Just tell me-" he started, but a weapon that resembled a night stick struck his back. He yelled and fell face-first into his own filth.

"Be glad we didn't kill you like your brutish buddy." another man said. They all left and shut the door, sealing out the light. Toad wiped the shit from his face, flinging it away as he sat on the opposite end of the room, where it was feces free.

Sabretooth was dead? He's been dead all this time? And why wouldn't anyone tell him anything? This was serious violation of the truce…but oh, that's right. The truce didn't exist anymore.

Sometime later, the door opened again, and he again backed away. Three men entered the room, their guns focused on him as a woman came in with a syringe.

'_Not this again_!' he silently complained as his heart started beating faster. "I don't know anything, I swear!"

He tried melting away into the wall as the smell of perfume grew stronger. The needle pierced his skin and he whimpered, feeling an immediate sensation of exhaustion wash over him, forcing his eyes shut.

He awoke when something cold and wet splashed into his face. As he jerked and tried to flinch away, he realized he was in a room much different than the kind he usually woke up in when they questioned and tortured him. Also, instead of some soldier, or suit, he was seated across from the President himself.

"You!" he accused, trying to free his hands from their restraints so he could strangle the man. He'd use his tongue, but most of it was gone; severed when he attempted a similar task when he first arrived. Days, weeks, months ago, he couldn't be sure.

"You know," the President started, straightening his tie. "I really didn't want to fly all the way out here to deal with you. I'm the one who gave the order to capture you. I thought you'd be more compliant than others we've tried to use, but I was wrong. You won't tell us what we want to know, so your usefulness has ended."

Toad swallowed, trying to slow his rapid breathing. He was absolutely terrified at the moment, and he didn't care who knew.

"Mortimer, or as you prefer, Toad, you are no longer needed." the man said, standing up. Toad watched as a soldier came up behind him, replacing the President, who began to leave.

"Oh this is it, isn't it? Fine! Go ahead, get it over with! You can't kill us all!" he yelled, not wanting to die, but knowing the time had come.

The President looked back at him with a sigh, and for a moment, he thought he saw regret in the human's eyes. The door shut, and the soldier took his gun from its holster, putting it against the mutant's head.

He closed his eyes, knowing he was a dead man. The last sound his ears ever had the ability to hear was an impossibly loud bang emit from the last thing his skin felt: the cold metal barrel of the pistol.

Little did he know that the man who shot him was reluctant to pull the trigger.

* * *

A/N: What to look forward to next chapter: a drunken Wolverine, a moody Cyclops, and an attack on a mutant refuge.


	4. Chapter 4: Vanishing act

Chapter 4: Vanishing act

(Wolverine)

After downing his third bottle of beer, he had to take a piss. He passed many students in the hall on his way to the bathroom. Why was the place so packed, anyway? Oh, that's right! It was Saturday, duh! No classes!

He closed the bathroom door and unzipped, sighing in relief as his bladder emptied.

"Logan?" a voice asked. A female voice. He froze and quickly zipped his pants as he flushed the…toilet? He could've sworn he was standing at a urinal.

He should've felt embarrassed as he turned to face whoever caught him, but he only felt slight amusement at what he had done.

"Are you…you're drunk." Storm said, looking helpless…or was it hopeless?

"I am not." he childishly insisted, leaving the stall.

"Then why are you in the ladies' room?" she asked, watching him wash his hands.

"It's much prettier, and it's closer." he said, drying his hands as he left the bathroom.

"How many times are you going to do this, Logan? You're not setting a very good example for the students." Storm scolded, following him into the kitchen.

"For the love of god, Storm! It's not like I drink in front of them! I have my own hideout." he said, grabbing various sandwich-making materials.

"The Professor's concerned about you." she said.

"Me? I'm one hundred percent fine. It's Scott you should be concerned about. He's barely left his room in two months. The place stinks, I can smell it from here." he said, piling slices of meat on his mustard-slathered bread.

"He just needs time." she said.

"Time, right. It's certainly helping all of us move on." he said sarcastically as he placed the top piece of bread on his breakfast or lunch or snack.

"You were both in love with her. We don't expect you to be all smiles and rainbows, but we were hoping you'd at least try to move on." she said.

"I am trying." he said, taking a huge bite of his meal.

"Drinking yourself into oblivion isn't trying, Logan." she said, leaving the room.

After swallowing, he realized he was no longer hungry and tossed the sandwich into the garbage.

'_X-Men, please assemble at Cerebro_.' Xavier's mental request echoed slightly in his head.

Even with several beers in him, he was immediately on alert and headed into the elevator. He ran into Storm on the way and the two shared a look as she pressed the 'down' button. The youngest additions to the team wandered over, excited and nervous. As they piled into the elevator, Scott arrived, looking surprisingly fresh-faced. Storm placed a hand on his shoulder and the elevator descended, filled with the anxious whispers of the newbies.

The cramped elevator was quickly vacated as it stopped, and the team approached Cerebro, where Professor Xavier was waiting.

"What I'm about to reveal to you will come as a shock, I'm sorry to say. It seems our attempt at a peaceful coexistence with humanity has failed." the eldest member of the X-Men informed.

"What?" Storm asked among the whispers between the youngest members.

"I'll show you." Xavier said, advancing into Cerebro. Everyone looked at each other, unsure if they were supposed to go inside.

"I believe that was my invitation to you all." Xavier said, already at the end of the corridor. The X-Men hurried inside and crowded around their leader as the door slid shut and Xavier put on his helmet. "Okay, everyone, please don't move."

The mutant-identifying red lights filled the large room, causing Rogue, Bobby, Kitty, and Tin Man to both gasp and gawk.

"These lights represent every mutant on the planet." Xavier explained.

"There are so many!" Rogue said in awe.

"Yesterday, there was three percent more." Xavier said.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked.

"The number of mutants, for some reason, is rapidly declining. I believe this is evidence of our failure." Xavier said.

"So, people are just randomly killing mutants?" Wolverine asked, wanting a cigar.

"No, Logan, not randomly. The deaths are localized to this continent." Xavier said; shortly after, a tiny red light in the Florida area of the United States vanished.

"This is because that one mutant tried to kill the President. But why go after all of us?" he asked.

The red lights faded away as Xavier removed his helmet. "From what I've been able to get from some long-distance mind reading of White House officials, they think we're staging some sort of rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Scott asked quietly. Everyone looked at him, almost as if they forgot what he sounded like.

"Why would we rebel? We had peace. It's what we all wanted." Scott continued, looking depressed again.

"It's been almost two weeks since that attack on the President. Why retaliate now?" Rogue asked.

"I'm not sure." Xavier said.

"Maybe they needed to get their affairs in order." Storm suggested.

"Or maybe they needed to pull the sticks out of their…" Wolverine's statement was appropriately cut off as the lights momentarily flickered.

"Get upstairs!" Xavier ordered as Cerebro's doors opened.

The team ran to the elevator, and Wolverine could hear screaming above them, but no one else noticed. He unsheathed his claws as the elevator started its ascent.

"Something's going on up there. I think we're under attack." he informed.

* * *

(Bobby)

The elevator doors opened to reveal a raid-in-progress. He immediately thought back to the raid orchestrated by the now-dead Stryker.

The X-Men piled out of the elevator, immediately on the offensive. The group split up, and he and Rogue went to the left. Others went to the right, and others went upstairs.

The two of them gathered up a group of students and led them to one of the emergency escape tunnels. Bobby kept an eye out as Rogue explained to the kids what to do.

"Come with us!" one of the kids pleaded, scared beyond belief; which was completely understandable.

"We can't. We have to help the others, but don't worry. You're safe now. Just follow the tunnel, and head to the safe house." Rogue said, closing the door only after the kids started leaving.

"Why would they attack in the middle of the day?" he asked as they turned a corner.

"They shouldn't be attacking at all, Bobby." Rogue said.

"I know." he replied. A burst of gunfire caused them to stop in their tracks. "That was really close by."

His heart started beating faster. He tried to _not_ be scared, tried to be more like the Professor, or Wolverine, but he was internally freaking out. What if they were hurt or killed? What if the others were? What if the younger kids were?

"It'll be okay, Bobby." Rogue said, taking his hand. He looked at her and saw she was equally terrified.

The duo advanced in the direction they heard the shots come from, and almost got fried by an optic blast as they turned a corner.

"It's us!" he yelled, standing back up after having to crouch to avoid the attack. They turned the corner and saw Scott standing over half a dozen fallen men.

"Sorry about that." the older mutant apologized.

"It's okay." he said, looking down the hall.

"You two okay?" Scott asked.

"We're fine." Rogue said.

"Okay, stay close." Scott said, leasing the way. They entered the kitchen, where a man was rummaging through cabinets like he was looking for something, and was oblivious to the three of them. Scott opened fire, incapacitating the man in seconds, and kept firing as the man crumpled to the ground.

"Stop, he's down!" Bobby yelled, running forward to see if the guy was dead. The optic beam stopped and Bobby saw Rogue let go of a pale Scott. He turned to the soldier and knew with one look that he was gone.

"What the hell was that?" Bobby asked as he spun around to face Scott. "We start killing people, we're no better than _them_!"

"Them?" Rogue scoffed.

'_Oh, great. Now she's gonna act like him too for a while_.' he thought, letting out a small sigh.

One emotional, laser-firing mutant was hard enough to look after, especially since he probably killed a dozen people to blow off steam…but two? Even though the personality change was temporary, it was going to be tough. Scott looked at Rogue funny and the trio moved on from the kitchen, towards the echoes of random bursts of gunfire.

* * *

A/N: up ahead: we jump a handful of hours into the future to learn the fates of two young students, and one Brotherhood mutant gets captured, pulling our favorite X-Men baddies into the war.


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble in Paradise

*A/N : very brief sexual content ahead. Please scan ahead to the asterisk (*) if very thought of sex disgusts you.

Chapter 5: Trouble in paradise

(Pyro)

Moans, groans, and 'Oh Pyro!'s. Where was the euphoric cry of sexual ecstasy? He stopped thrusting and rolled off her, hearing her gasp in protest, and turned away whilst simultaneously swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"What's wrong?" Mystique asked. He felt her hand rub his shoulder and he gently kissed it.

"Is this…good for you?" he asked.

"The sex? It's been great." she said.

"But?" he asked, sensing the word was on the tip of her tongue.

"But tonight…it was a little lackluster." she admitted.

"I'm sorry, babe. I just…I can't stop thinking about Bobby." he said with a sigh.

"Bobby? You're fucking me and you're thinking about your old roommate? What, would you prefer if I looked like him while we-" she started.

"No!" he interrupted, facing her. "God, no. That'd give me nightmares."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

* "I just keep thinking Bobby and Rogue are in trouble." he said.

"You're just missing them, that's all." Mystique said.

"No, it's not!" he insisted, pulling on his boxers. "I have this bad feeling that something happened over there. That school's a well-known mutant hideout. What if they were attacked?" he asked, starting to pace.

"Come back to bed, baby. We'll check out the school in the morning." she said, scooting over to his side of the bed.

He folded his arms and locked eyes with her. "Can we go now? Please?"

She sighed and climbed out of bed.

"Fine. I'll get Erik." she said, leaving their bedroom. He threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and grabbed his lighter before following in Mystique's footsteps. His thoughts were so immersed in why he was feeling the way he was, that he almost ran smack into Mystique as she left Magneto's room.

"He'll be right out." she said.

"What'd you tell him?" he asked, hoping he wasn't going to be the one to blame when they went there only to find everything was fine.

"I said we had reason to believe the school was subject to attack. He's Charles Xavier's friend, he won't hesitate if he thinks he's in real danger." she said.

"They act more like arch enemies." he mumbled.

"They're rivals. They have their differences, but they won't just idly stand by as the other is about to be slaughtered." she said.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you." he said, pulling her into a hug.

Magneto emerged from his room wearing his usual get-up.

"That helmet still looks dorky." Pyro said, wondering if the guy had any other mutant outfits.

"It wasn't so dorky at Alkali Lake, was it?" the elder mutant asked.

"Touché." he remarked, heading outside. He stared up at the starry sky, trying to shake the nagging feeling of imminent danger out of his mind. Why was he still so concerned about Bobby and Rogue? If they had cared about him, they would have sopped him from leaving the jet all those months ago, right? Why was he such a worry wart?

Magneto and Mystique emerged from the lair and the door leading underground was hidden from view.

"Lead the way, young Padawan." Magneto ordered with the wave of a hand.

"_Star Wars_? Nice." he said, leading the way through the trees. He knew this area like the back of his hand now. He always remembered his first day in the forest, he had gotten so unbelievably lost it took him two days to get back to the Brotherhood, much to their amusement and surprise.

The moon was a sliver shy of being full (whether it was waxing or waning, he had no clue), and they had enough light to see as they navigated to the car.

"Okay, it's right up ahead. I'm driving." he said, lightly jogging forward to clear the nest of branches enveloping their ride.

"Help! Help!" a young voice cried, instantly alerting the three of them. They looked around and saw two young kids come out from the bushes. Pyro recognized them; they were students at the school!

"Jones? Theresa? What are you guys doing all the way out here?" he asked, approaching them slowly.

"We were attacked and we…we got lost." Theresa replied.

He remembered her mutant name: Siryn. She saved their asses the night Stryker raided the school.

"Who else made it out?" he asked, crouching down to their level.

"A bunch of other kids." Jones said.

"Yeah? What about the teachers?" he asked.

"They stayed. But that was hours ago." the younger male replied.

Pyro blinked in confusion. "Hours? How long ago was the school attacked?"

"It was after lunch." Theresa answered, rubbing her arms.

'_Shit! That long ago_?' he thought. "Okay, how about you guys go with my friend Mystique here and she'll get you guys something to eat, huh? How's that sound?" he asked.

"She's scary." Jones whispered.

He looked back at Mystique, hiding his smile as she scowled at him. "O-okay, what about Erik?" he tried, looking to their leader.

"Isn't that Magneto? He's a bad guy." Jones stated.

"Yeah, why are you with him?" Theresa asked.

'_God, kids and their stupid questions…I didn't miss this_.' he thought, standing up. He turned to face the Brotherhood and shrugged.

"We were just about to go check on the school. We'll take you back." Mystique offered.

"And these two will behave themselves." he chimed in.

"Okay." Jones said, holding hands with Theresa as they stepped closer.

Pyro had to relinquish the driving duties to Magneto since he was more or less forced to sit in back with the students. While they drove down the quiet, empty roads of Westchester, the students explained the traumatic attack on the school as best as any scared, traumatized kid could. By the time they parked across from the school, the students were half asleep, but the sight of their home quickly woke them.

Everyone scanned the school, examining its safety. No open doors or windows, no blood, lights on.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked Magneto.

"I want you and I to check it out. Mystique, you say here to…" their boss's request was cut off as a bullet whizzed by and cracked the back window of the car. This caused the kids to scream, and Theresa's wail reverberated throughout the small car, making the shrill scream that much more intense. Everyone covered their ears in an attempt to drown out the siren screech, except the girl, who was luckily immune to her own ability.

Pyro winced as he removed one hand and clamped it over her mouth. "We can't protect you if you're making our ears bleed!" he hissed, sounding harsher than he meant.

"The shot came from that way!" Mystique said, pointing. The Brotherhood jumped out of the car as the students hid on the floor of the car. The three of them looked around for the shooter, and another shot ricocheted off the road near his feet. He jumped back and looked for the gunman, but even with the light from the school, he couldn't spot him/her.

Something clattered and rolled along the road towards him from behind, and he spun around, flicking open his lighter. Before his mind could even register that the object rolling towards him was a flashbang, it exploded.

His vision was filled by a glowing white light in the shape of a firework, and it wouldn't go away no matter how much he blinked. His ears were ringing and he felt himself swaying before he finally lost his balance and collapsed. The lights dancing before his eyes started to fade a little, but his attempts to get back up were fruitless.

He tried yelling for Magneto and Mystique to get away, to leave him behind, but he couldn't hear his own voice. There was a sudden sting in his neck and the effects of the sedative were immediate. He was barely able to make out the car's tail lights speeding away before darkness surrounded him.

When his eyes opened again, he found himself still unable to move much, only to find that this time it was due to restraints, not drugs. Handcuffs, to be precise.

Sitting across the table from him was some guy in a suit, and at every corner of the room was a soldier holding a big-ass gun.

"Let's get this started, shall we?" the man asked, straightening up as Pyro became more alert.

"What the fuck is this?" Pyro asked, ignoring the increase in his heart beat's tempo.

The man grinned, a smirk that rivaled his own. "You're about to find out."

* * *

A/N: Oh yes, I went there. I'm putting everyone's favorite fire starter in quite a pickle.

Also, a look ahead: we have a reunion with the X-Men and most of the kids, and a violent altercation between two of the older X-Men.


	6. Chapter 6: a Bump in the Road

Chapter 6: A Bump in the Road

(Rogue)

Her exposure with Scott was brief, just a five-second grasp to shock him into stopping his concussion beam. His thoughts, his memories, and his emotions burst forth into her consciousness, and she experienced it all. His grief over losing Jean, his 'I-don't-care-about-anything-anymore' depression, and his past as a prisoner for that mutant-hater that assaulted the mansion just a couple months ago…it overwhelmed her, physically and emotionally.

Bobby moved the group forward and they ran into a frozen group of cops. Not frozen solid, frozen like the museum incident, like mimes. Extremely good mimes.

Some of Scott's pent up rage wanted her to kill one of the cops, but she was becoming more of herself again, thank goodness. She never wanted to feel that way again.

They bypassed the unmoving cops and went towards the front of the school, where they found Professor Xavier, Kitty, and Pete.

"We got a few of the kids out." Bobby informed as they stood by the team. Nobody mentioned the men Scott killed, and Storm and Logan came down the stairs with a group of nearly a dozen kids.

"Garage?" Logan suggested.

"You read my mind." the Professor said, smiling a little. Everyone hurried to the garage, simply moving around any frozen men they came across.

When they all entered the garage, they split up into seven cars, each driven by a member of the X-Men. They didn't need quite so many vehicles now, but once they found the other kids at the rendezvous, the extra space would be needed. Professor Xavier didn't drive a vehicle, but he did sit in a specialized wheelchair-accessible van, which was also large enough for almost half of the group of kids. The rest of the students split up into Bobby's and Kitty's vehicles of choice.

'_Follow us to the rendezvous_.' Xavier instructed as Storm started driving forward. Kitty followed suit, then Bobby, then Rogue, then Scott, then Pete, and finally, Logan brought up the rear of the parade.

They soon pulled over along the side of the road, covered by the forest canopy that seemed to surround Westchester.

'_Rogue, Logan, Scott, and Pete, please go on ahead. We'll remain here to stay with the children_.' Xavier telepathically requested.

She climbed out of the car, glancing at Bobby through his side mirror. She gave him a small smile and followed Pete, Scott, and Logan into the forest, headed for the memorized emergency-hiding-place; some abandoned cabin/shed hybrid near a pond. It had the essentials: four walls, a roof, food, and water.

The sun was still shining bright, even through the leafy tree-tops. Rogue was just grateful it wasn't the middle of winter…afraid they'd find half-frozen little bodies. It was a time like _that_ that John would've been useful. He was always radiating heat! He could live in Antarctica if he wanted with no shelter, without fear of freezing to death!

"You okay, kid?" Logan asked, suddenly beside her.

"Yeah." she replied, smiling a little as she looked away. He hardly called her 'Rogue'…always 'kid'.

"You sure?" he repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm sure." she said, stepping over a log.

"Because, you know, you can tell me anything." he said.

She stopped, watching Pete and Scott march on. "During the attack, I touched him. Scott. He's hurting more than he's letting on, Logan."

"What do you mean, he's suicidal? I know he's been pretty distant, but…" he started.

"No, he's not trying to kill himself. He's taking Professor…_Jean's_ death so hard." she said.

"Everyone is." he replied, his eyes softening.

"He's borderline obsessed about it." she said, glancing to where she had last seen Scott.

"Can you blame him? They were engaged." he said.

She sighed. "Can you, I don't know, talk to him later on? I don't think he'd listen to me."

Now it was his turn to sigh. He crossed his arms, but nodded. Definitely nodded.

"Thank you." she replied, and they left to catch up to the other X-Men.

* * *

(Cyclops)

He felt like he was on autopilot as they moved to the rendezvous. If a doe pranced out in a tutu, he'd barely notice. If a glob of bird shit hit his head, he'd barely notice. He was numb to the world at this moment, which he both loved and hated.

Soon the cabin was in view, and he felt his heart almost skip a beat, like it tried to be emotional, and gave up halfway. He started to feel…dare he think it? Yes. He felt a pang of relief. They were going to get the kids, and they were going to go somewhere safe. They…they didn't deserve to live in a world where their 'home' was nothing more than a crumbling shack.

The four of them entered the small building, finding the rest of the students huddled up in fear.

"Hey, it's okay." Rogue said, her voice soft and reassuring. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Her coax worked, and as the kids filed outside, Scott met her gaze, but quickly looked away. Just what _exactly_ did she see when she grabbed him at the school? What did she feel? He knew she was a little moody after the incident, he just didn't know what else was going through her head besides his residual emotions.

Pete and Rogue led the students away as he and Logan brought up the rear. The two adults were silent, but he could feel Logan glance at him every now and again.

"Something bothering you, Logan?" he asked, hating how everyone kept babying him and watching him even though he knew they were only trying to help.

"Rogue's worried about you." Logan answered.

'_Dammit_.' he thought. "Is she?" he asked, trying to sound surprised.

"She saw things. Felt things. She knows what you're going through." Logan said.

"So she tells _you_? Oh, why wouldn't she? She practically worships you." he said.

"Hey, this isn't about her. This is about you." Logan said.

He stopped, facing the older mutant. "I know you all think I'm some ticking time bomb, wondering when I'll go off. But you guys need to give it a rest. I'll move on…when I'm ready to move on."

Wolverine huffed, and glanced at the retreating students before looking back to Scott.

"We're all hurting, too. You weren't the only one who loved her."

When he said that, something clicked in Scott's head. That was it. _That was his limit_. In the blink of an eye, he adjusted his visor and fired, sending Wolverine into a giant tree.

Everyone up ahead stopped and stared as teacher attacked teacher.

"You think she loved you? She was gonna marry _me_, you son of a bitch!" he yelled at Logan's temporarily unconscious body. Colossus and Rogue cautiously advanced as Logan began to rouse, groaning.

"Watching you lust after her, it was pathetic. You only wanted her because you couldn't have her. Well are you happy now? Now none of us can have her because she's dead!" he screamed, tendons stretching in his neck. He could see genuine shock come over Logan's face, and it almost made him laugh out loud.

"Hey!" Colossus yelled, suddenly behind him.

He turned to face the younger X-Man. "What? I'm just letting loose. Blowing off steam. Isn't that what you all wanted? For me to move past her death? Newsflash, I'm trying! It's a slow process! Why can't you all just understand that?" he yelled, getting in the X-Man's face.

Pete barely even flinched at the outburst, but he leaned forward, ever so slightly. "You're scaring the children." he said in a husky voice.

"They should be scared!" he replied, waving one arm in their general direction. "We're all going to die soon anyway. Humanity is finally taking a stand against us, and we're not prepared!"

Logan whirled him around and punched him square in the jaw. The blow knocked him to the ground, onto his side.

"Are you finished?" Logan asked gruffly.

Scott looked around, seeing everyone's expressions. Fear, shock, confusion; it all hit him. He was supposed to be a leader, and here he was, picking a fight with a leader of equal potential. He was acting like a giant douche!

"I'm sorry." he apologized meekly as he looked up at Logan. "I didn't mean any of that."

"Yes you did. And it's okay. You're letting out those bottled up emotion. If that means frying my ass into a tree every now and again, then so be t." Logan said, offering his hand.

He took it and was pulled up. "And you? How are you dealing?" he asked.

"It was bad, but a chat with Storm really opened my eyes. I'm coping." Logan answered.

Pete moved away, back to the front with Rogue, and the group began moving again. They soon reached the line of cars and hit the road again. As they were driving, the drone of a helicopter announced itself. He glanced into his rearview mirror and saw two military helicopters, Boeing AH-64 Apaches to be precise, approaching fast.

* * *

(Colossus)

The group were still missing a few kids, so they were moving on to scour the surrounding area. He couldn't blame the youngsters for getting lost or forgetting the way to the meet-up spot. The fear-induced adrenaline could've messed up their sense of direction. It was pretty likely.

When he noticed the two helicopters behind their line of cars, his foot remained on the gas as he followed the cars in front of them, copying their turns and zig-zags down into a path into the forest. An explosion shook the earth and he glanced in his rearview mirror, seeing a fiery blast behind Wolverine's car.

'_They're using missiles_.' he realized, quickly scanning the faces of the four kids in the back seat, all of whom had their ears covered. The cars up ahead were slowing down and stopping, and he did the same. The helicopters passed overhead, unable to see them through the trees. Or perhaps, the Professor did some mental persuasion to move the pilots along.

Everyone abandoned their cars for the moment, joining up in a group. The kids were all murmuring to themselves, excited and terrified. Xavier, Storm, Wolverine, and Cyclops had a little pow-wow, while he, Kitty, Bobby, and Rogue tried their best to calm the kids down.

All the crying, and worry, it was only the tip of the iceberg for their problems.

* * *

A/N: next chapter, the search for the two missing kids continues, and the Brotherhood timeline merges with the X-Men timeline.


End file.
